University Marketing & Communicationshttp://www.washington.edu/marketing
University of WashingtonMon, 05 Dec 2016 05:28:11 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1Three tips for using email as a marketing toolhttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/10/17/three-tips-for-using-email-as-a-marketing-tool/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/10/17/three-tips-for-using-email-as-a-marketing-tool/#commentsMon, 17 Oct 2016 21:45:14 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8982What makes the difference between an email that gets dumped in the junk folder, and one that actually gets your message through? Just like any platform, there are tips and tricks to help you improve your email results.

A 2014 study showed that email was 40 percent more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter combined. But don’t forget, email is very different from social media. It can be incredibly powerful, but only if used effectively. Here are three key takeaways to help you better utilize this platform:

Make sure your message has a clear purpose.

Use metrics to support and improve your strategy.

Set an expectation for the recipient to respond.

Establish an objective:

If the purpose of your email is not clear to you, it will be even less clear to your audience.

In order to maintain a priority status, focus on crafting messages that have a purpose and a call to action.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/10/17/three-tips-for-using-email-as-a-marketing-tool/feed/0Tips for creating an effective adhttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/13/tips-for-creating-an-effective-ad/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/13/tips-for-creating-an-effective-ad/#commentsTue, 13 Sep 2016 23:52:30 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8843What makes a successful ad anyway? There are dozens of theories, rules and guidelines that promise to boost effectiveness, but the basic principles generally stay the same. A good advertisement will:

Grab the attention of viewers

Encourage them to take action

Outline the benefit of doing so

In the below examples of print ads, the University of Washington, Washington State University and University of Oregon use these strategies quite nicely. While we may be rivals on the playing field, let’s take some time to congratulate our competitors — and ourselves — on the advertising tenets that we successfully employ.

How to grab attention:

Be concise

Be bold

Don’t compete

The below ad from WSU features a clear message — in addition to the bright colors and bold lettering — that is easily absorbed and hard to miss. The ad grabs attention with the large font, but below it, WSU provides additional information in a smaller font that does not compete with the “30,000 COUGS” text. This ad deserves the full page of space that it takes up.

How to encouragepeople to take action:

Use “you” language

Use active language

Provide links and clear directions

The below ad from the University of Oregon prompts the audience to “Show your Oregon pride” and “fund UO scholarships.” The “you” language helps the call to action feel direct, and the UO is explicit about how they want their audience to participate. They also provide a link and keyword to make it easy to follow through.

How to make a promise that you can keep:

Cater to your audience

Explain benefits

What’s the why?

In this ad, UW Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) poses an action statement that is specific to their audience: “Discover what’s next in your career.” Found in Columns, the UW alumni magazine, this ad targets working professionals who are interested in furthering — or changing — their careers. The ad also promises the benefit of flexible hours, a common (but effective!) sales technique. The specific audience and benefits combine with the direct and motivational message to “keep learning”, which provides a reason why the reader should take action. Add the simple URL, and you’ve got an effective ad!

Concept application

The concepts listed above are the basics: They should apply to just about every advertisement. But depending on your purpose and audience, there are many other potential roads to take. You could focus on a specific appeal — like humor, fear, facts, etc. — for your audience. Or, for a more advanced approach, consider tailoring your message to your audience’s psychographics or highlighting a unique sales proposition.

For more info on the UW’s ad presence, contact assistant director of the UW’s brand and media strategy Tory Hernandez!

— Callie Hamilton

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/13/tips-for-creating-an-effective-ad/feed/0Writing for magazineshttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/09/writing-for-magazines/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/09/writing-for-magazines/#commentsFri, 09 Sep 2016 23:22:07 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8830What are the best practices for magazine writing, and how can you successfully pitch the UWAA’s widely-read magazine, Columns?

Lori Suderman, UWAA’s associate director for publications, kindly shared her top tips and tricks at our September Word Nerds meeting. The highlights:

Thinking about word counts:

Briefs (50 words or fewer)

Research pieces (500-750 words)

Features (around 800 words)

Essays (900 words or more)

Short profiles (500 words or fewer)

Prepping the pitch:

Outline the basic idea of the story

Write up a reporting plan

Note the newsworthiness

What makes a great magazine story:

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/09/writing-for-magazines/feed/0Make the most out of your posthttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/06/make-the-most-out-of-your-post/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/06/make-the-most-out-of-your-post/#commentsTue, 06 Sep 2016 19:05:42 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8821Before you hit that “post” button, look at the clock. Do you know if your audience is currently browsing Twitter? How about Pinterest? You might want to wait a couple of hours — or maybe even a couple of days — because posting to the right place at the right time can make all the difference with social media.

Here are some guidelines to help you maximize your likes, shares and views on the most common platforms:

Facebook: The best time to post for the UW community is 8 p.m. Try to save your most important posts for Thursdays and Fridays, but weekends are also a good time.

Twitter: Just like Facebook, 8 p.m. is the sweet spot for retweets and favorites. This is also a great place to link out to other content.

LinkedIn: This platform is work-friendly, so post at any time between 9 and 5. Just make sure that you are cautious about Monday mornings, as most activity picks up Tuesday through Thursday.

Instagram: While most people check Instagram throughout the day, there is usually small spike in activity at lunchtime — and between classes for students. Be sure to take advantage of those times to help boost engagement with your post. Make sure to use hashtags and share your photo on Facebook, too!

Pinterest: Are you a night owl? Pinterest users stay up late, so any time after 8 p.m. will yield the best response. Prime user activity extends all the way to 2 a.m.!

YouTube: Once again, that magic hour of 8 p.m. works wonders for attracting views. (Try uploading your video to Facebook also to take advantage of the autoplay function.) Just make sure to add closed captioning!

Posting at the right time can make the difference between a successful push and a social media flop. Tip: Keeping a cheat sheet of these times at your desk or in your phone is an easy way to remember.

These suggestions are based on behaviors of the UW community. Read this HubSpot article to see how the rest of the world compares!

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/09/06/make-the-most-out-of-your-post/feed/0How autoplay is changing social mediahttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/08/23/how-autoplay-is-changing-social-media/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/08/23/how-autoplay-is-changing-social-media/#commentsWed, 24 Aug 2016 00:50:21 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8774In the last few years, Facebook has made changes to its News Feed layout that have had surprisingly large implications for marketers. One of the most prominent is the autoplay video function. Facebook’s algorithm already favors videos, and with this new function, they are incorporated seamlessly into the News Feed, reaching more people than before. Taking advantage of this change will help you communicate messages and tell stories, but only if your video adds value to your audience’s experience.

What makes an effective autoplay video?

The most important thing to know about autoplay videos is that you have to grab people’s attention — immediately. Here are some tips for how to make the best Facebook autoplay videos:

The first three seconds are the most important. Pull viewers in with something that has movement and is eye-catching.

Imagery must be vivid in order to get the message across and carry your viewers past the crucial three-second mark.

Production quality is key in order to add to the News Feed experience. Having a high-quality video will add to the legitimacy of your online presence and encourage viewers to explore your message.

Communication implications

Integrated into the News Feed, the autoplay function is designed for simple storytelling and sharing. Most popular social media sites have embraced the autoplay video function, and Facebook even has a page that features some of the world’s most creative autoplay videos. As long as you are sharing valuable content with your audience, short Facebook videos are the perfect opportunity to promote messages throughout the UW community, so use it to your advantage!

Read up on how autoplay is winning the digital game, and take note of Facebook’s tips on its blog.

—Callie Hamilton

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/08/23/how-autoplay-is-changing-social-media/feed/0Audio 101http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/07/08/audio-101/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/07/08/audio-101/#commentsFri, 08 Jul 2016 23:46:14 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8603A few months ago, I decided it was about time I finally learned video production — a decision that was sparked partially because I had a genuine interest and it was exciting to learn something new, and partially because, well, I felt like I had to have that skill to keep up in today’s storytelling landscape.

I produced, shot and edited my own short, then signed up for an eight-week class at Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum to get educated. The class, “Film Fundamentals,” hits the high-level basics of production — camera operation, lighting, audio recording and editing. (And I highly recommend it if you, too, want a crash course.)

As a writer with UMAC, having an understanding of audio recording in particular is especially important. We produce a lot of videos in-house, and knowing how to record high quality audio recordings and interview for a voiceover is important.

And now, as the team in UMAC pushes toward a more immersive storytelling experience, we’re experimenting with NPR-style audio bits, too. No visuals, just sounds. So I took what I learned in three hours at the NWFF and shared it with our Word Nerd crew. Here are some highlights:

Audio science

Sound waves are measured in frequency (Hz)

Amplitude (or loudness) is measured in decibels (dB)

Microphone basics

At UMAC, we often use a shotgun mic to record audio narratives

There are three types of mics — a shotgun mic is a condenser mic

Different mics have different pickup patterns

A shotgun mic records sounds like a zoom lens works on a camera — very focused, and great for cutting out background noise

Recording audio

Make sure your recorder is set to professional standards

Sample rate = 48 kHz (the number of samples obtained in one second)

Bit depth = 24 bit (the amount of information per sample, similar to image resolution)

When recording, be sure the dB levels stay between -12 and -6 while the gain is around 5 or lower

Helpful tips

Do your interview in a quiet room — keep an ear out for the hum of an air conditioner or fridge, and other loud distractions

Record room tone, special sounds (like birds chirping, or a pen clicking) and the interview separately, then mix during editing

When conducting the interview, be sure your subject responds concisely and puts the answer in context

Always monitor levels throughout the interview, and adjust accordingly

For more info, check out the slides. Then, do some research and practice on your own — there’s so much to learn!

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/07/08/audio-101/feed/0Holy hyphen, Batman! Editorial tips from the UW’s style guidehttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/06/03/holy-hyphen-batman-editorial-tips-from-the-uws-style-guide/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/06/03/holy-hyphen-batman-editorial-tips-from-the-uws-style-guide/#commentsFri, 03 Jun 2016 19:29:08 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8518At our most recent Word Nerds meeting, the group lived up to our title: We got down in the weeds for a discussion on the UW’s style guide.

As a reminder, the UW follows AP Style; but alas, even the journalists’ bible isn’t infallible, and sometimes there is no help for that specific term you’re looking up. Add to that the ever-changing AP Stylebook (web and internet, anyone?) and the UW’s sheer size, and it’s inevitable that varying names and spellings evolved over time. After years of discord, the group came together to rule on common UW phrases.

Capitalize “Professor” in front of a name: “Professor Jane Husky.” But the best option is to write around the situation: “Jane Husky, professor of physics…”

We also had a lengthy discussion on the use of hyphens — or rather, their overuse. AP’s rules on hyphen usage are quite (and somewhat frustratingly) vague; they recommend using hyphens in two situations: when leaving it out will create confusion, or when using compound modifiers (bonus: the compound modifier rule doesn’t apply with adverbs ending in –ly or the adverb “very”). A helpful tip from one Word Nerd was to look up the specific phrase you’re struggling with, and see what other writers have done; personally, I look to the New York Times for guidance.

Be sure to check back periodically for new additions to the UW style guide.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/06/03/holy-hyphen-batman-editorial-tips-from-the-uws-style-guide/feed/0Facebook Live: the newest player in the live-streaming gamehttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/05/12/facebook-live-the-newest-player-in-the-live-streaming-game/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/05/12/facebook-live-the-newest-player-in-the-live-streaming-game/#commentsFri, 13 May 2016 00:59:53 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8505Facebook has officially entered the live-streaming game, following in the footsteps of Twitter’s Periscope (which Apple named the iOS app of the year in 2015) in allowing users to broadcast live on their news feeds.

So, what does this new live-streaming option offer us as campus communicators?

The integration of Live into Facebook’s already complex News Feed algorithm allows marketers to target their broadcasts — something that Periscope and other live-streaming applications do not.

What could you use Facebook Live for?

Announcements about new developments within your department

Behind-the-scenes looks into what your unit does

Q&As

How-to videos — but don’t forget to make sure they’re highly visual!

How do Periscope and Facebook Live differ? Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison:

Storing videos

Periscope: Videos are deleted from your page 24 hours after your broadcast, though you can automatically save the actual videos to your phone for later use. However, comments and likes aren’t retained on the saved version.

Facebook Live: Videos are permanently saved on your timeline, unless you delete them. The social media behemoth recently changed its News Feed algorithm to rank Live broadcasts higher in the feed than archived streams.

Alerting followers

Periscope: Followers must have the app installed and be following you to receive a notification that you are streaming live. They can view your stream in their Twitter feeds, but won’t get a notification there about your broadcast.

Facebook Live: Followers will receive a notification that you are broadcasting live, unless they’ve turned off this feature or turned off notifications for your page.

Usability

Periscope: It can be used on Android or iOS devices. It isn’t fully integrated into Twitter, though, so it requires installation of a separate app. Several nuisances, like remembering to tap a hard-to-see button in order for the broadcast to appear on your Twitter feed, can be frustrating.

Facebook Live: It can be used on Android or iOS devices and doesn’t require installation of an app other than Facebook. Simply press the “Live” icon, type in a title and press “Go Live.”

One particular drawback of Periscope is that you can’t filter comments, which might result in inappropriate posts popping up on your broadcast stream. Facebook Live comments don’t appear on-screen in the same way, and you can modify inappropriate comments after the broadcast in the same way you manage comments on other Facebook posts.

Facebook Live also allows you to edit videos after you’ve posted them. You can select a thumbnail for your video, add a call to action, categorize your video and more. These features allow you to more effectively repurpose your video for later use.

Here are a few tips for making live broadcasts more successful, no matter which platform you use to air them:

Let followers know in advance that you’ll be broadcasting.

Promote your broadcast on your other channels.

Make sure your video content is visually appealing.

Keep your audience engaged by answering their questions and acknowledge their comments.

The UW is on the precipice of launching a bold, ambitious fundraising campaign that will transform our students, faculty, staff and communities. So, how do communicators begin to talk and write about the UW’s campaign, Be Boundless — For Washington, For the World? We talked about this and more at our April 21st Word Nerds meeting. In case you missed it, here are the slides: Word Nerds 4 21 16 PDF. And here are the highlights:

Need to articulate what the campaign is about? Start with the elevator pitch as a guide:

The University is preparing to launch the most ambitious campaign in its history, one that will transform Washington and the world in limitless ways. Our goals center on transforming the student experience, driving the public good, expanding our impact, and empowering innovation.

You can help us unleash the potential of our students, faculty and programs because together, we move our community, region and world forward.

Together we are stronger. Together, we are boundless.

Our key themes outline the four ways the campaign is propelling students, society and the region forward:

Transforming the student experience

Driving the public good

Expanding our impact — everywhere

Empowering possibility through innovation

What is our campaign tone, and how is it different from our brand tone?

We’re confident and bold in our vision. We’re passionate and compassionate. We’re a boundless, undaunted community of achievers. We believe in the transformative power of education. And we’re deeply grateful, honored and invigorated by our supporters.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/04/21/communicating-the-campaign/feed/0Alternatives to the press releasehttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/04/01/alternatives-to-the-press-release/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/04/01/alternatives-to-the-press-release/#commentsFri, 01 Apr 2016 19:26:10 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8442Ask most marketing professionals what the quintessential information-sharing tool is, and they’ll likely say the press release — or at least, they used to. In today’s communications landscape, however, most people simply aren’t going to read the standard release: headline, dateline, body, boilerplate and contact info. Today’s press releases need a facelift, and thanks to Mashable, here are a few recommendations for getting your news out to audiences in an engaging way.

Social media

We’ve heard it time and again, and social media isn’t going away any time soon. Social media is turning into the main way that audiences engage with brands. So, what channels does your department use? What seems to get the most traffic? Try making your announcements on that page, like posting a short video explaining what’s new in the department. We used Facebook to announce the installation of the new bronze “W” statue at the end of Rainier Vista.

Blog/newsroom

Does your department have its own blog? If so, post there and share it on your social media channels. UW Today and the Office of News and Information are great places to share your stories to a university-wide audience. Here at UMAC, we also have a number of places where we can post stories, including the UW homepage, the Story Central database, Columns and Viewpoint magazines, and more. If your unit has a boundless story — already written or not — fill out our pitch form and send it our way! We may be able to collaborate with you to help share or tell your story.

Content marketing

Visual storytelling is one of the trendiest ways to get stories out there, with the added benefit of being able to repurpose the materials for advertising and social media promotions. Think of how the New York Times’ “Snow Fall” revolutionized the way journalists tell stories. Reporters could have simply written a 1,000-word piece on the avalanche and the people impacted. But their use of maps, gripping visuals and unique sidebars took the story to a whole new level. Think about small ways that you can bring life into your content beyond a standard photo.

Go deep with someone to tell your story

What media does your unit appeal to? Do you have any relationships with specific outlets or reporters? Take your story to new depths by sharing special “exclusives” with them.

As communications specialists on campus, it’s our job to get news out about the amazing work our students, faculty, staff and alumni do. It’s essential that we continue to innovate as we market ourselves to the UW community and to audiences outside of the University. Our dedication to being boundless has to shine through in our work, too!

— Ashley Walls

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/04/01/alternatives-to-the-press-release/feed/0Word Nerds: Show and Tellhttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/03/07/word-nerds-show-and-tell/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/03/07/word-nerds-show-and-tell/#commentsMon, 07 Mar 2016 23:51:31 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8395At our most recent Word Nerds session, we got to learn about the excellent content you’re producing all across the UW. In an informative show-and-tell session, we heard from units large and small, and saw everything from feature stories to videos to signage.

Read on to learn about the wealth of inspiring work your colleagues across the University are producing!

UW Sustainability’s Daimon Eklund showed off some creative collateral (above) from a large exhibit the office created in conjunction with the Center for Integrated Design. It’s an excellent example of incorporating the University’s brand while at the same time maintaining a distinct personality — otherwise known as sub-branding.

Kirsten Atik, of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, shared with us a touching video recap of MLK Week.

Nancy Joseph took us through Perspectives, the College of Arts and Science’s newsletter — it’s packed with a wealth of wonderfully written feature stories.

Sarah Guthrie of the School of Pharmacy had some great examples of pre- and post-brand collateral the school has produced. She also shared with us some posters and hard copies of Dawg Scripts, the school’s alumni magazine.

Student Life’s Leigh Tucker showed us the Humans of UW Facebook page, inspired by the well-known Humans of New York. It’s a perfect example of how a simple idea, executed well, can result in powerful content.

And finally, Doug Esser from UW Bothell showed off some boundless tenet posters his team has developed. Here is one of many that stays true to our brand while showcasing the spirit of UW Bothell.

Thanks to all who shared. Keep up the boundless work!

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/03/07/word-nerds-show-and-tell/feed/0Periscope: A passing fad or a legitimate marketing tool?http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/19/periscope-a-passing-fad-or-a-legitimate-marketing-tool/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/19/periscope-a-passing-fad-or-a-legitimate-marketing-tool/#commentsSat, 20 Feb 2016 00:09:09 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8366Periscope, at its most basic, is a live-streaming app that posts users’ live videos to Twitter, where they remain available for 24 hours.

It gives you a way to venture through the world via someone else’s lens. You can move through the bustling streets of New York City with people on their way to work or catch a behind-the-scenes view of “The Today Show.” Or, you can show your followers how beautiful the Quad is on a rare sunny day. Cool, right?

With the increased popularity of video, especially among millennials, it’s no wonder that Twitter jumped at the opportunity to acquire Periscope so it could give users a way to video-share the world around them, in real time.

(As a side note, the idea that anyone can share and watch video has raised privacy concerns. College campuses are a likely place for this app to take off, and for the most part, administrators are meeting the app with a wait-and-see approach.)

How can Periscope help you?

So how can a live-streaming app help campus communicators reach more and more people in creative ways?

Entrepreneur magazine has several recommendations for how live-streaming can be used to drive engagement — and we’ve detailed how it can help you, campus communicators:

Announcements

Involve everyday consumers of UW information in the action. This can be useful in gauging interest and buzz around events, and useful for key dates (like application deadlines and commencement).

Live Q&A

A customer-service goldmine, a great way to humanize the UW brand, and connecting o the individual user.

“Celebrity” takeover

If you are strategic about who you allow to “take over,” the viewership and returns could be incredible. A student takeover could provide a glimpse into everyday life on campus for prospective students, or a takeover by an athletic team would give fans a way to engage with the team before they hit the field.

Behind the scenes

Giving a glimpse into a behind-the-scenes event at the UW creates a new perspective for viewers to engage with the University as more than an educational institution.

Build your Twitter following

Finding new ways to engage your audience is always a good way to gain followers.

The next time you’re thinking of ways to engage with your campus audience or beyond, this could be a great tool for doing so in a new way!

Campaign-related theme highlighting the first six months of the campaign (May be renamed)

June

Best of UW 2016-17#BestofUW

Celebration of the previous academic year

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/17/2016-17-monthly-messaging-themes-2/feed/0Deconstructing the Facebook News Feed, social media’s most powerful featurehttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/12/deconstructing-the-facebook-news-feed-social-medias-most-powerful-feature/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/12/deconstructing-the-facebook-news-feed-social-medias-most-powerful-feature/#commentsFri, 12 Feb 2016 23:00:07 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8298Facebook is by far the most utilized social media platform, with over a billion users. People spend almost as much time scrolling through the iconic blue and white News Feed every day (39 minutes) as they do interacting with people face-to-face (43 minutes), according to a TIME article.

Facebook’s News Feed feature has come to dominate how we interact online — what we see, what we talk about, how we talk about it. It’s propelled the success of sites like Buzzfeed and Vox, and left traditional newspapers shriveling. But how? What drives the world’s largest digital billboard?

Hint: It’s not as simple as just posting content that will attract the most “likes.” So how does the algorithm work, and how can we, campus communicators, leverage it to have the most impact with our social media content?

Relevancy scoring

A recent article in Slate explored this topic in depth with the developers responsible for this vexing feature. Among the mysteries writer Will Oremus helped solve is Facebook’s “relevancy score.” This individual component is what makes Facebook one of the most powerful social networks because it powers the creation of a personalized online experience. Here’s how it works:

An algorithm takes into account hundreds of factors — from posts you’ve previously liked to how long you spend reading a story — to predict your reaction to a post.

The relevancy score ranks each post in your feed based on these predictions.

Once every post has received a relevancy score, the sorting algorithm places them in the order you see on your screen. The top post in your feed has been chosen as the one most likely to resonate with you.

Constant evolution: beyond “likes”

User testing has been instrumental for helping Facebook determine what changes to make to account for human behavior. Facebook constantly asks users not only what content they like, but also why they liked or didn’t like it, how much they liked it and what they would have preferred to see instead. The data showed there were blind spots that no algorithm could have predicted.

As a result of this testing, Facebook now:

Gathers data on how long you spend on a post and whether you like a story before or after you read it.

Gives users more control over their News Feeds with features like “Show First,” “Unfollow” and “See Less.”

These actions factor into what content users see on their feeds and whether your page’s content will be visible.

Takeaways

Facebook’s News Feed algorithm is a complex web of software made up of smaller algorithms.

The mysterious algorithm is surprisingly human and very much a work-in-progress. Software engineers are constantly making changes and updating the algorithm.

“Likes” aren’t the only consideration that the algorithm takes into account when ranking content. Some interactions are more valuable — like how long a person spends reading the story.

All this being said, your content will appear in users’ feeds if you can regularly engage them. Find ways to create or continue conversations. Bring a new perspective. Incite emotion.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/12/deconstructing-the-facebook-news-feed-social-medias-most-powerful-feature/feed/0UW brand resources at your fingertipshttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/uw-brand-resources-at-your-fingertips/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/uw-brand-resources-at-your-fingertips/#commentsWed, 10 Feb 2016 00:28:41 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8289One of the challenges of working in a UW school, department or unit (especially one with a tight budget) can be pulling together the requisite resources needed to achieve professional, on-brand marketing and communications materials. If you find yourself in this situation, or challenged by fast-approaching marcomm deadlines and project demands, it’s worth checking out the centralized brand support resources University Marketing & Communications has provided at uw.edu/brand.

Easy-to-use and frequently requested brand resources, such as logos , colors, typography and brand swag are just a click away, as well as other helpful brand-related information, tools and templates.

Below is a quick tour through uw.edu/brand and what it has to offer. Each of the sections listed are accessible through the website’s top navigation bar.

Are you new to campus and would like to learn more about the UW Brand, or would you like a refresher course in the strategic thinking behind the UW’s brand development? Review the Brand 101 tutorial to learn about our brand pillars, tenets, tagline and FAQs.

In this section, templates are provided for several different types of frequently produced office communications, events and presentation needs. Stationery, PowerPoint and fact sheet templates are all popular downloads.

Useful downloads and guidelines designed to help bring your website in alignment with UW branding are located here. Add to your website(s) vital HTML components, the Boundless header, and content management system themes for both WordPress and Drupal.

At the date of this blog posting, the email section of uw.edu/brand is still under construction, but downloads of the on-brand email signature and branded email headers for the Convio email distribution system are ready-to-go and available here.

Contact

Make sure to check uw.edu/brand frequently for new tools, guidelines and resources. In addition to email branding guidelines, video graphic tools and a 16×9 PowerPoint template, campaign-related fundraiser tools will be coming soon. For questions or more information, please contact Alanya Cannon, Director, Brand Management, at 206-616-5535 or uwbrand@uw.edu.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/uw-brand-resources-at-your-fingertips/feed/0Tips and tricks for effective interviewshttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/tips-and-tricks-for-effective-interviews/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/tips-and-tricks-for-effective-interviews/#commentsTue, 09 Feb 2016 22:55:22 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8283If you’re a communications professional, chances are you’re frequently tasked to interview people, be it for articles, videos or speeches. I would also wager that most of you — being your highly capable selves — have developed your own interviewing style with no formal training, just through trial and error. Nice work!

But what, exactly, does make a good interview? What are you doing well, and what tips might help you improve?

For this month’s Word Nerds meeting, I interviewed several campus communicators about best interview practices for print and the Web, for videos and for speeches.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/02/09/tips-and-tricks-for-effective-interviews/feed/0Three reasons why you should use video marketing to target millenialshttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/25/three-reasons-why-you-should-use-video-marketing-to-target-millenials/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/25/three-reasons-why-you-should-use-video-marketing-to-target-millenials/#commentsTue, 26 Jan 2016 01:08:18 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8259Omid Kordestani, Twitter’s executive chairman and former chief business officer at Google, shared a staggering fact last July: on mobile, the average YouTube session is over 40 minutes.

Forty minutes! YouTube has transformed the way we consume entertainment and information, whether it’s watching Teddy Bear the porcupine nibble a piece of corn on the cob (guilty) or live-streaming the presidential debates. In fact, YouTube now reaches more 18 to 49–year-olds (that encroaches on Generation X territory, folks) than any U.S. cable network. Fellow marketers: if you’re not harnessing the power of video in your messaging strategy, you’re doing it wrong.

Animoto reports that millennials will spend more than $200 billion annually beginning in 2017 (courtesy of consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow). Whether they’re spending that on drugstore mascara or a top-tier education doesn’t matter so much as the fact that they’re making that decision by experiencing the product or service before they’re actually purchasing it. Simply put, if you don’t share whatever it is you’re trying to market via video, then, well, you’re missing out on a major opportunity.

At the UW, campus communicators have an opportunity to share with their audience (potential students, current students, alumni, donors, etc.) firsthand:

What the student experience is really like,

All the ways in which Huskies are contributing to communities near and far,

And the innovative research happening at the UW that’s changing lives — and making an impact — around the world.

We’re all about showing and telling — and so are millennials. And Animoto’s research backs it up:

60 percent of millennials would prefer to watch a video than read a newsletter

80 percent of millennials find video helpful during initial research for a purchasing decision

70 percent of millennials are likely to watch a video when shopping online

69 percent of millennials find consumer testimonials helpful

Chalk it up to the ability to watch whatever, whenever, on our devices or the fact that social media platforms like Snapchat, Periscope, Instagram and Facebook are totally integrated with — or centered on — video: the bottom line is the trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So take advantage, friends!

And, because it’s fun: check out this commercial from Old Navy’s 2015 holiday campaign, in which they enlist former “SNL” and “Portlandia” star Fred Armisen to take on the role of Alexandra Gert — a millennial vlogger touting her Old Navy haul. Take it from me, a millennial who now wants to wear Old Navy more than ever: this is good.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/25/three-reasons-why-you-should-use-video-marketing-to-target-millenials/feed/0Marketing trends for 2016http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/07/marketing-trends-for-2016/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/07/marketing-trends-for-2016/#commentsThu, 07 Jan 2016 15:46:05 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8184Now that we’ve had our fill of holiday treats and reflected on 2015, it’s time to look forward to what the new year will bring. Courtesy of Forbes.com, here are a few of the marketing trends you can expect to see in 2016:

Video marketing for millennials will be a must

A study done in the fall of 2014 showed that younger audiences watch more video on digital sites like YouTube than on television. By speaking directly to current and prospective students — or even making them the stars of your videos — you’ll be able to grow their interest and passion for your unit.

Storytelling will have a bigger role in content marketing

Studies show that reading stories activates areas of the brain that we use when experiencing events, making information in story-form more memorable. Stories also move people to act, bridging the gap between a cause and its relation to your audience. Copywriters and editors already know how stories artfully convey a subject to a wide audience, but storytelling will be utilized as more of a strategy staple than years past.

Social media will become an integral part of overall marketing strategy

As the author of the Forbes article writes, “Social media is one platform out of many, a tactic that does a great job of supporting broad campaigns but flounders by itself.” Aligning social media with your website, newsletters, emails and other materials will be key in developing a well-rounded and fully-formed content strategy.

Mobile will continue to dominate

According to eMarketer, about 47 percent of Facebook’s more than 1 billion users accessed the site exclusively through their mobile device in 2015. Beyond Facebook, the number of people who do the majority of their Internet browsing from a mobile device has already surpassed desktop users. In planning for the upcoming year, it’s important to ensure your unit’s website and other online content are designed with mobile viewing in mind.

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2016/01/07/marketing-trends-for-2016/feed/0Pitch perfect: Mastering the UMAC pitch formhttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2015/12/23/pitch-perfect-mastering-the-umac-pitch-form/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2015/12/23/pitch-perfect-mastering-the-umac-pitch-form/#commentsWed, 23 Dec 2015 22:48:37 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8116As a member of the University Marketing & Communications editorial team, one of my responsibilities is to work with units across the UW to find and tell our University’s best, most boundless, brand-defining stories.

But where do we get our story ideas from? It often begins with a convincing story pitch.

Every two weeks, the University Marketing & Communications editorial board meets to discuss story ideas we’ve learned about through our own research — or that UW units have shared with us by completing a pitch form. We talk about whether or not the stories are boundless, about strategic ways to tell them, about the best platforms to share these stories.

So, what makes a good pitch? Here are a few tips to get you on your way:

Be focused: Choose one story idea per pitch form, and make your case for us to pursue this one story, as opposed to giving us vague snippets of several stories.

Be concise: Keeping in mind our brand values, distill your story idea into two to three short paragraphs, rather than copying and pasting the complete story. Be sure to include the “hook” — the angle that you think sells the story.

And, finally …

Be Boundless: The story pitches that we do decide to take on are those that are best aligned with our brand and strategy. They represent a clear understanding of our editorial guidelines — they’re human, they focus on impact and they’re highly specific.

Check out this example of a successful story pitch from Bruce Betz, the School of Social Work’s communications director:

P.S. Are you struggling to find an angle to your story? Confused about the pitch form? Unsure of whether it should go to UMAC or News & Info? Contact Jamie Swenson, UMAC senior copywriter, or Julie Lauderbaugh, UMAC associate director of content — we’re here to help!

]]>http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2015/12/23/pitch-perfect-mastering-the-umac-pitch-form/feed/0Calling all content buffs: 2016 Word Nerd schedulehttp://www.washington.edu/marketing/2015/12/11/calling-all-content-buffs-2016-word-nerd-schedule/
http://www.washington.edu/marketing/2015/12/11/calling-all-content-buffs-2016-word-nerd-schedule/#commentsFri, 11 Dec 2015 21:40:51 +0000http://www.washington.edu/marketing/?p=8098Who are the Word Nerds? Copywriters, editors, marketers, creatives… anyone who works at the UW in a communications capacity with a love for content! Our monthly Word Nerd meetings are designed as hour-long opportunities to network, talk shop and grow as a professional.

The University Marketing & Communications teams hosts this informal event every first Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in Gerberding 142!

Here are a few upcoming dates and topics for 2016:

Thursday, January 7

12:30 p.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Speechwriting structures

*Tuesday, February 9

11:30 a.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Interviewing tips & tricks

*Date changed due to a conflict with the CASE Conference

Thursday, March 3

12:30 p.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Boundless Show & Tell

*Thursday, April 21

12:30 p.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Campaign messaging platform and style guide

*Date changed due to coincide with the Marketing Roundtable

Thursday, May 5

12:30 p.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Crisis Communications Part Two

Thursday, June 2

12:30 p.m., Gerberding 142

Topic: Writing for recruiting

If you’d like to be on the email Nerd list and/or if you have a topic idea, please email julie2@uw.edu!